Limaiinae, Martin-Neto & Vulcano, 1989

Makarkin, Vladimir N. & Perkovsky, Evgeny E., 2023, New Limaiinae (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) from the early Eocene Fur Formation, Denmark, including an unexpected finding of a Mesozoic genus, Zootaxa 5383 (1), pp. 57-66 : 60-61

Limaiinae gen. et sp. A

Fig. 4

Material. Specimen FUM-18490, deposited in Fur Museum / Museum Salling. A proximal part of a slightly crumpled forewing.

Locality and horizon. Denmark: Mors Island : Klitgård Klint (56.889°N, 8.6987°E), collected by Erwin Rettig in 1995. Early Eocene (Fur Formation) .

Description. Forewing ca. 10 mm long, ca. 6.2 mm wide (as preserved; estimated complete length ca. 15 mm). Costal and subcostal spaces not preserved except basal subcostal crossvein (1sc-ra) located slightly distad origin of RP. RP originating at obtuse angle. Basal crossvein between RP, M (1r-m) rather short, connecting anterior trace of RP, im near proximal termination of im. M dividing to MA, MP slightly distad origin of RP; MA probably forked once distad Psc, MP deeply forked at Psc. im very long, narrow, tapering basally (length/width ratio 4.8:1). Crossvein between MA, MP (1im) long. Psm well developed. Crossvein 2m-cu connected im, CuA at distal end of im (opposite 1im). CuA probably with three simple branches. CuA continuing into well developed, only slightly zigzagged Psc. Only proximal crossveins of two gradate series of crossveins preserved. CuP once deeply forked. 1icu located close to origin of CuP; 2icu connecting CuA, anterior branch of CuP. c1: c2 length ratio 0.32: 1. One very short crossvein (1cu-a1) connects CuA, A1. A1, A2, A3 simple. Crossvein between A1, A2 (1a1-a2), and A2, A3 (1a2-a3) long, located proximad 1a1-a2.

Remarks. Although the forewing of Limaiinae gen. et sp. A is not complete, two conditions characteristic of Limaiinae are preserved, the elongate intramedian cell which tapers basally, and the far distal location of the crossvein 2m-cu (between the intramedian cell and CuA).

This species differs from the other three valid species of Limaiinae known from the Fur Formation: from Mesypochrysa nielseni sp. nov. by its shorter cubital cell c1 and longer and narrower cells between Psm and Psc; and from Protochrysa aphrodite by its more proximal origin of RP. The undescribed species of the presumable Protochrysa has a short intramedian cell (pers. obs.).

Protochrysa athene (invalid, as above) was insufficiently described. Rust (1999) mentioned only that it is larger than P. aphrodite (forewing 21.9 to 23 mm long), and crossveins in the RA space are much longer (“Die hinter dem Radius liegenden Zellen sind viel höher als bei P. aphrodite ”, p. 285). However, his photograph shows that the veinlets in the distal part of RA in P. athene are as short as in Mesypochrysa nielseni sp. nov., not long as in P. aphrodite (see Rust 1999, Pl. 24, Fig. a). Therefore, this species may not belong to the genus Protochrysa .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Limaiinae gen. et sp. A, specimen FUM-18490. A, part; B, counterpart; C, forewing venation (A, C, converted to standard view, with apex to the right). Scale bars = 2 mm.